Advisory Committee on Business Appointments

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Of those Ministers who left the Government in the ministerial changes of May 2006, which have so far made contact with the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments to seek advice on any appointment they wish to take up; and in each case what was the committee's advice.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under the terms of the Ministerial Code, former Ministers are required to seek advice direct from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments they wish to take up within two years of leaving office.
	The committee publishes on its website, and subsequently in its annual report, details of the advice it has given about an appointment if it has been taken up (or announced). Copies of the committee's annual reports are available in the Libraries of both Houses, and on the committee's website at www.acoba.gov.uk/former–ministers–appointments.aspx.

Armed Forces: Federation

Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will conduct a survey of the views of members of the Armed Forces on the requirement for a federation; and, if so, when the results will be available.

Lord Drayson: The views of service personnel are sought on a regular basis and on a wide variety of subjects. They therefore have the opportunity to make their views known on matters of concern to them. It is for the chain of command to represent views formally.

Armed Forces: Sexual Harassment

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the phase three action plan, as set out in annexe B to the agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the Equal Opportunities Commission published on 25 May, does not define (a) perpetrating, and (b) continuing to allow, sexual harassment.

Lord Drayson: The purpose of the action plan, published on 25 May 2006, is to implement measures to prevent and deal effectively with sexual harassment in the Armed Forces, as defined in the agreement made between the Ministry of Defence and the Equal Opportunities Commission on 23 June 2005. The action plan states that the Armed Forces will make behaviours associated with harassment unacceptable and make clear to personnel at every level that there is no place for those who condone it.

Belarus: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the Government of Belarus concerning the arrest of Christian leaders and the denial of religious freedoms.

Lord Triesman: The Government continue to raise human rights issues, including the right to religious freedom and assembly, with the Belarusian authorities, both bilaterally and together with EU partners. During the past 12 months Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised the case of one Protestant church on four separate occasions and restrictions on freedom of worship in general on at least 12 occasions. Freedom of worship was also referred to in a resolution critical of Belarus's human rights record sponsored by the EU at the April 2005 UN Commission on Human Rights. Our ambassador in Minsk also met leaders of Churches under pressure from the authorities to hear their concerns and wrote to the Minister responsible late last year. To date he has not received a reply.

Bulgaria: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to ensure that respect for religious liberty is a key part of the pre-accession dialogue between the European Union and the Government of Bulgaria; and
	What representations they have made to the Government of Bulgaria over the treatment of the Alternate Synod of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria.

Lord Triesman: EU candidate countries must ensure,
	"stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities",
	according to the Copenhagen criteria established in 1993. Bulgaria was deemed to meet these conditions in 2000. The European Commission continues to monitor religious liberty as part of its ongoing monitoring of Bulgaria's progress towards EU accession. Our embassy in Sofia also closely monitors developments.
	We have made not made any representations to the Bulgarian Government on the issue of the treatment of the Alternate Synod of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria.

Burma

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will support the current attempts by some member states to impose a binding United Nations Security Council resolution on the Government of Burma for the early release of Aung San Suu Kyi and for the acceptance of democratic elections.

Lord Triesman: We fully support any action in the United Nations, including the current US proposal for a Security Council resolution, that will highlight our concerns over the human rights situation and help to promote reform and positive change in Burma.
	We have repeatedly called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other prisoners of conscience, most recently in the statement issued by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary on 31 May. This statement can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?page&cid=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1148473573847%20&year=2006&month=2006-05-01&date=2006-05-31.

Chechnya

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What position they propose to take on Russian policy in Chechnya and the implications for relationships with the Islamic world at the forthcoming G8 summit in St Petersburg.

Lord Triesman: The central themes of this year's G8 summit will be global energy security, infectious diseases and education. We will remain supportive of policies and initiatives which aim to bring peace and security to Chechnya and to confront the threat of terrorism in the region. As we do so, we will continue to emphasise the importance of pursuing these aims with due respect for human rights and religious freedoms.

China: Panchen Lama

Lord Steel of Aikwood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What latest representations they have made to the Government of the People's Republic of China concerning Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi, following the report last year of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child; and what response they received.

Lord Triesman: We regularly raise Tibet, including individual cases, with the Chinese Government. Officials from our embassy in Beijing went with the Foreign Affairs Committee to Tibet in May 2006 and raised the case of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima with Chinese Government interlocutors. China stated that the Dalai Lama's choice of Panchen Lama is currently receiving education and is in good health. The case was also raised at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, 24–25 May 2006 in Vienna. We continue to request that independent monitors be allowed access to check Gedhun Choekyi Nyima's welfare.

Civil Service: Party Political Activities

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many civil servants have been (a) disciplined, and (b) dismissed for taking part in party political activities in each of the past 10 years.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Arrangements for disciplining staff are delegated to individual departments and agencies subject to the central framework set out in chapter 4.5 of the Civil Service Management Code.
	As such, no central records are maintained by the Cabinet Office.

Department for Education and Skills: Staff

Baroness Morris of Yardley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many staff currently work in the city academies division of the Department for Education and Skills; and how many worked in that division in 2004 and 2005.

Lord Adonis: There are currently 77.15 full-time equivalent staff working in DfES academies group. There were 81.5 full-time equivalent staff at the end of the 2005–06 financial year and 46.5 at the end of the 2004–05 financial year. These staff carry out a range of functions including policy, delivery, communications and educational support.
	This growth in staff numbers reflects economies of scale as the academies programme grows: in September 2004, there were 17 academies open; in September 2006 there will be 46 open and more than 60 more projects in the pipeline.

Extraordinary Rendition Flights

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they are refusing an independent inquiry into United States rendition flights and detentions in United Kingdom airspace.

Lord Triesman: As we have found no evidence of detainees being rendered through UK territory or airspace where there were substantial grounds to believe there was a real risk of torture, it is not clear what the basis of such an inquiry would be. My right honourable friend the then Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) set out in his Written Ministerial Statement of 20 January the results of the extensive review of official records back to May 1997 (Official Report, House of Commons, cols. 37–38WS). We have also fully co-operated with international inquiries on this matter. The Government's replies to the Council of Europe Secretary-General's requests for information are available in the Library of the House.

Housing: Human Rights

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they propose to take concerning the finding by the Court of Appeal that Section 185(4) of the Housing Act 1996 is incompatible with Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Baroness Andrews: The Government wrote to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on 3 March 2006 to inform the committee that they do not propose to appeal against the Court of Appeal's declaration of incompatibility in the case of Sylviane Morris v Westminster City Council. The matter is currently under consideration.

Iraq: Academics

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many academics and doctors have been killed in Iraq since April 2003 in connection with the insurgency, broken down by (a) sex; (b) religion; (c) qualification or speciality; and (d) year.

Lord Triesman: We believe that the Iraqi Government are best placed to monitor the deaths of their own civilians. While the Iraqi Ministry of Health monitors the number of casualties, it does not record statistics according to sex, religion or qualification.

Iraq: Academics

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have had with the Government of Iraq and the coalition forces about the safety of Iraqi academics.

Lord Triesman: We have regular and frequent discussions with the Government of Iraq about the security situation across Iraq. While we have not discussed the specific issue of Iraqi academics' safety, we have raised broader concerns about targeted kidnappings and murders of Iraqi civilians.

Iraq: Military Casualties

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For each case, how the level of financial compensation received by dependants of Commonwealth service personnel serving in the British Armed Forces and killed by hostile action while on active service in the current conflict in Iraq compared with the average level received by dependants of British service personnel killed in the conflict.

Lord Drayson: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 5 June 2006 (Official Report, cols. WA 154–55) which set out the arrangements in the Armed Forces Pension and Compensation Schemes. The same rules are used for the surviving dependants of both British and Commonwealth service personnel when calculating appropriate rates of benefits payable under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975, War Pension Scheme and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

NHS: Beds

Lord Crickhowell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many hospital beds there were in Wales in every year from 1979 to 2005 in each of the following categories (a) acute; (b) geriatric; (c) maternity; and (d) in total.

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: Average daily available beds—Wales, by speciality group
		
			  Acute Geriatric (a) Maternity Other (b) Total 
			 1979 .. .. .. .. 23,456.1 
			 1980 .. .. .. .. 23,203.2 
			 1981 .. .. .. .. 22,939.8 
			 1982 .. .. .. .. 22,441.2 
			 1983–84 .. .. .. .. 22,411.6 
			 1984–85 .. .. .. .. 22,294.7 
			 1985–86 .. .. .. .. 21,999.4 
			 1986–87 .. .. .. .. 21,565.2 
			 1987–88 .. .. .. .. 21,103.3 
			 1988–89 .. .. .. .. 20,504.1 
			 1989–90 9,139.6 3,915.4 926.6 5,875.3 19,855.3 
			 1990–91 9,056.2 3,811.3 916.1 5,630.9 19,414.4 
			 1991–92 8,834.7 3,749.5 916.5 5,139.8 18,640.3 
			 1992–93 8,658.9 3,687.2 869.0 4,862.6 18,077.9 
			 1993–94 8,441.3 3,599.5 806.2 4,583.8 17,474.6 
			 1994–95 8,478.5 3,345.4 787.8 4,176.5 16,834.0 
			 1995–96 8,438.8 3,072.4 710.5 3,729.2 15,951.2 
			 1996–97 8,619.4 2,851.5 695.6 3,416.2 15,582.5 
			 1997–98 8,819.5 2,437.6 665.3 3,271.8 15,194.3 
			 1998–99 9,077.9 2,044.1 654.4 3,120.4 14,896.7 
			 1999–2000 9,160.4 2,009.1 626.5 2,927.2 14,723.2 
			 2000–01 9,314.2 1,805.6 602.3 2,841.4 14,563.6 
			 2001–02 9,418.6 1,660.1 603.7 2,751.8 14,434.1 
			 2002–03 9,497.8 1,530.2 580.2 2,656.5 14,264.8 
			 2003–04 9,530.7 1,484.1 564.3 2,629.6 14,208.9 
			 2004–05 9,452.1 1,474.3 534.0 2,553.5 14,014.1 
		
	
	(a) Some of this decrease could be attributed to the reclassification of these beds to the medical acute sector.
	(b) Mental illness, learning disabilities and pathology.

Official Travel: Department for Transport

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Department for Transport has a scheme allowing Ministers and officials to offset carbon emissions generated by travel undertaken in the course of, or on the way to, official departmental business.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In March 2005 the Government published Securing the Future, the UK Government sustainable development strategy. In launching that document the Prime Minister announced that there would be a new scheme to enable government departments to offset the carbon impacts of their air travel by April 2006. The Department for Transport is participating in, and has contributed to the development of, that scheme.

Palace of Westminster: Westminster Hall

Lord Laird: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	What measures have been taken to ensure that adequate health and safety protection is provided for those who work near the reconstruction work in Westminster Hall.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: An impact assessment of the possible health and safety effects of the work in Westminster Hall was carried out before the works started. A full health and safety plan, laying exacting standards on the chosen contractor, was included in the tender documentation.
	All the rooms adjacent to the hall including the CPA/IPU Rooms, the W Rooms, the Jubilee Cafe and the Grand Committee Room have been vacated for the period of construction. It is therefore considered that any health and safety concerns have been fully addressed.

Palestine: Banks

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have had with their European Union and United States counterparts concerning the unfreezing of Palestinian bank accounts to allow those banks to pay the salaries of government workers.

Lord Triesman: The Government have frequent discussions with both US and EU counterparts about the economic situation in the Occupied Territories, including on the Palestinian banking system.
	Salaries were paid to the lowest-earning Palestinian Authority workers on 5 June. We understand this covered some 40,000 of the 160,000 Palestinian Authority civil servants.
	This action demonstrates that some banks are prepared to transfer funds to government workers if the Palestinian Authority has the funds to transfer.

Palestine: Funding

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have had with the Government of the United States concerning the funding of militia for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Lord Triesman: The UK is keen that law and order be ensured by legally constituted forces in Gaza and the West Bank.
	The Government are in close dialogue with the Government of the United States and with our EU partners concerning the issue of security for President Mahmoud Abbas. We have been working closely with US General Dayton, who has been reviewing the capacity of the Presidential Guard. We have recently provided equipment to enhance President Abbas's security.

Revenue and Customs: Travellers' Allowances

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether HM Revenue and Customs is able to prosecute retrospectively those individuals who failed to declare and pay at the time the necessary tax and duty on goods brought into the United Kingdom over the normal travellers' allowance.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Failure to declare goods brought into the United Kingdom over the travellers' allowance may be prosecuted retrospectively. Proceedings for summary offences under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (CEMA) are subject to a three-year time limit, beginning with the day on which the offence was committed. Failure to declare goods over the travellers' allowance contrary to Section 78 of CEMA is such an offence. For the more serious, indictable, offences, there is a 20-year time limit.